Arthur Conan Doyle's 12 Favourite Sherlock Holmes Stories

1. The Speckled Band

Calling it “the grim snake story”, Conan Doyle chose this macabre locked-room mystery as his favourite Sherlock caper.

2. The Red-Headed League

Featuring a mysterious society comprised of red-headed men and a master criminal hidden in plain sight, ‘The Red-Headed League,’ is one of the most unique (and comical) stories in the Holmesian canon.

3. The Dancing Men 

One of the most intriguing of all of Holmes’s cases, ‘The Dancing Men’, revolves around a mysterious cypher found at a country squire’s estate.

4. The Final Problem 

Like all great heroes, Sherlock Holmes has a nemesis: Professor Moriarty. This master criminal is one of literature’s greatest villains and he was first introduced to the world in ‘The Final Problem’.  

5. A Scandal in Bohemia 

Featuring a mysterious masked nobleman and a compromising photograph, ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’ is most notable for introducing Irene Adler. Referred to by Sherlock simply as ‘the Woman’, Adler is one of the only characters cunning enough to outsmart the great detective. 

6. The Empty House 

In 1893, Conan Doyle grew tired of writing Sherlock mysteries and made the controversial decision to kill him off. But due to public demand (and financial incentives), he decided to bring him back a decade later in ‘The Empty House’ — a locked-room mystery that ingeniously explains how the great detective disappeared for so long.

7. The Five Orange Pips 

Five dried orange seeds herald death in this thrilling mystery that sees Sherlock in a race against time to save a young man with a troubling family history. 

8. The Second Stain 

In ‘The Second Stain’ Holmes is tasked by the Prime Minister himself to track down a document that threatens to plunge Europe into an all-out war. It’s one of the great detective’s most consequential cases and features some particularly impressive forensic work. 

9. The Devil’s Foot 

Some of Holmes’s best cases include supernatural elements, and ‘The Devil’s Foot’ is a shining example of this trope. Featuring a priest who’s convinced his parish is cursed by demons and a mysterious psychedelic powder, it’s one of Conan Doyle’s most entertaining stories.

10. The Priory School 

‘The Priory School’ follows Holmes as he investigates the mysterious disappearance of a young nobleman from an elite boarding school. With an ingenious plot featuring plenty of twists and turns, it’s easy to see why this story has become a fan favourite.

11. The Musgrave Ritual 

‘The Musgrave Ritual’ is one of Holmes’s first cases and features all the elements of a great mystery. A devious butler, hidden passageways, buried treasure, and an ancient family ritual with a forgotten purpose. What’s not to like?

12. The Reigate Squire

Holmes’s genius forensic skills are on full display in ‘The Reigate Squire’ where a torn note covered in bizarre handwriting leads the great detective into a deadly conspiracy.